HealthCare at HOME (HCAH) has launched a weeklong ‘Doctors’ Day Off’ campaign starting from June 30 to July 6, 2017. The drive has commenced in various HCAH partner hospitals across Delhi and Punjab. The campaign encourages patients to abstain from disturbing their doctors for unnecessary reasons.

Posters portraying ‘Do Not Disturb’ is hung on the door knobs of the doctors’ chambers in hospitals. The display compelling messages like, ‘Every doctor needs a family-time. One day a week, I won’t disturb, I promise’. In addition, Facebook and Twitter profiles of HCAH will use the hashtag #DoctorsDayOff to spread awareness about the importance of the campaign, said HCAH.

“We wanted to show our gratitude to doctors by helping them take some time off for themselves. Physicians and surgeons not only make themselves available to their patients 24x7, but also have to constantly engage in academic learning to keep themselves abreast of the latest medical developments. This leaves them with hardly any time for themselves or their families. They deserve a break more than anyone else,” said Vivek Srivastava, chief executive officer & Co-founder, HealthCare atHOME (HCAH).

“A medical career is both rewarding and highly demanding. Studies indicated that globally too, about 80 per cent of doctors do not take sick leaves for illnesses for which they otherwise recommend patients to stay home. Therefore the campaign, raises this critical but less voiced issue. Our indomitable doctors will never stay down on their own, so it’s also up to the patients to ensure that they appreciate their physicians by allowing them to take some personal time off”, said Dr. Gaurav Thukral, Senior Vice-President and Business Unit Director, HCAH.

According to HCAH, the expectations from doctors is high. Personnel from other professions can stay away from work if unwell to visit a doctor. But if a doctor is ill, there is very little chance that he will do the same. Apart from making sure that patients are not caused any inconvenience, doctors hardly ever take days off so as to not disrupt the schedule of the hospitals and put the extra burden of patients on another already overworked colleague.